Description

She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one?

“With hauntingly poetic prose, Molly X. Chang spins a tale at the intersection of science fiction, fantasy, and the very real devastation that colonialism brings down on colonized peoples.”—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

---

My Review:

This book was hard. It is very bleak.

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to like it. But, I almost hate it. Almost, but not quite.

The beginning chunk was hard to get through. (It took me twice.) Ruying ruminates on the bleakness of her world, the hatred, the suffering. All of this, and learning that Ruying has a twin sister, who her friends are, and how she meets Antony could have been handled in a chapter or two. Instead, we get Ruying repeating herself constantly for the first 20-30% of the book.

And just as it finally starts to get good, it ends. With no closure. No hope. (But it is a pivotal moment for Ruying and Antony.)

Many folks don’t like the hint of enemies to lovers. For me it worked. It’s subtle, the changes the characters are going through. Antony is doing some terrible things. But, there are signs that his feelings for Ruying is changing him. At first, she’s the means to an end. An assassin. A grudging respect grows to affection. Could he still be using her? Maybe, but I want to believe his character has more depth to him than that. Otherwise, what is the point of him even caring for Ruying? For saving her? For the change in his character? Will he have a redemption arc? I hope so.

Just as the story finally gets moving, it abruptly ends. If the sequel was available now, I’d pick it up just to have closure. To see what happens between Ruying, Antony, and Baihu. Who is the Phantom? Can there be happy ending where both worlds are saved? Can Antony make good on his promise, can the sacrifice by the one emperor bear the fruit he hopes for?

And because I want to know what happen next, I’m giving 4 stars instead of 3.

I received an ARC from the publisher.